After my college graduation I suddenly had a whole lot of free time and I didn't quite know what to do with myself. That's when I discovered the Public Library. Since then I've been reading non-stop. Some books have been good, some books great, and others ... I'm ashamed to admit that I read them at all. But alas, I have thoughts about every book I read and thus Brooke's Book Reviews was created.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Love Sucks

by Melissa Francis

Dedication: "To my sons, Ian and Rader; It makes me proud to know you would fight evil vampires to protect me. And for the record, I'd do the same for you, if you'd just clean your rooms.".

First paragraph: "My mother's baby shower.

Okay, this is horrifying news on many levels. First of all, I'm eighteen. (Okay, I've only been eighteen for a week, but that means I'm no longer seventeen and therefore technically I'm an adult.) I know how she got pregnant. There is no way I want to think about that, yet it seems to be all I can think about. And let me just say---ew. Seriously, ew."

Review: This is the sequel to the book Bite Me. It picks up right about where Bite Me left off. AJ is still battling mystical evil, trying to keep her family safe, and attempting to live a normal teenage life. She's still trying to get over her ex-boyfriend now step-brother, Ryan, while planning her senior prom and dealing with her two best friends that want nothing to do with each other. As her world starts to crumble and her family's past sneaks up on her, AJ is forced to make decisions and betray those closest to her in order to save someone she loves.

I love these kinds of books. Entertaining and easy. I managed to read this book in between multiple distractions and finished it in less than a day. AJ is a developing character. I think I liked her a bit more in this book than I did in the last. She's not as self-centered and she really is looking out for those around her.

The book has a few surprises and twists that you might not have seen coming and it answers many, if not all, of the questions you may have had at the end of the first book. I think the infuriating character in this one is Ryan. What is he up to? What is he thinking? Where does he run off to and why? But since this story is from AJ's perspective, most of these things are never really answered. Too bad.

Also, this book has a vampire version of Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He looks different but every time he would open his mouth I heard Spike's voice. And to make it even better, Ryan nicknames him Buffy.

So, overall not many complaints about this book. It was exactly what I expected it to be. Not a deep read but entertaining and equal in comparison to the first book.

If you like Vampire stories or fantasy books and you don't have a lot of time to spare, this might be a fun one to pick up.